Fatal Intent - Jamie Jeffries Page 0,62

get a flash of temper and then calm himself by telling himself she was probably too busy with something, or maybe hadn’t received his message yet. Then he’d put it firmly in the back of his mind, so he wouldn’t indulge in an endless, fruitless speculation about what had gotten into her lately. She’d been acting weird ever since her blowout with her dad.

He was getting dinner ready when his cell phone rang, but it wasn’t Alex’s ring. Curious about who would be calling him, he dried his hands and took the call. It was Lt. Wells. Wells had become a friend last year, first when Alex had been missing and Wells had overridden the long wait before an adult could be considered missing, and then again in the fall. But he didn’t ever call to socialize. As soon as Dylan saw his name on the screen, he gulped. This was probably trouble.

Wells got right to the point after the obligatory greetings. “What’s Alex up to, Dylan?” he asked.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Dylan confessed. “Alex and I have been playing phone tag all week.” He didn’t want to admit that when they had spoken, he and Alex had been having misunderstandings that prevented real communication.

“She sent me a text that the Patriots are up to something, and she’s involved. What the fuck, Dylan?”

“Oh, shit, I told her not to… Why did she send you a text and not me?”

“I can’t answer that, but she’s not answering her phone. Do you know where she went, or what’s going on?”

Dylan’s heart sank. “Not even as much as you do. Lt. Wells, we’ve been having some difficulties. She’s in trouble, I know it, and I can’t help. I don’t have anyone to watch my boys.”

“What about Wanda?”

Dylan shook his head. They should have let Wells know about Wanda’s heart attack. Now there was no time. “I’m not in Dodge. Got transferred to Tempe. Let me call Alex’s roommates and see if they know. Stand by. I’ll get right back to you.”

Wells agreed and after Dylan ended the call, he took a minute looking through his saved numbers for Lisa’s. She answered on the first ring. With no time for the niceties, Dylan asked, “Lisa, do you know where Alex is?”

“No, we were just about to call you. She left a note saying she’d be back in a week. I guess we thought she’d gone to you.” Lisa sounded puzzled. “I wonder why she didn’t say where she was going.”

“Do you know anything about her messing around with that group, the Patriots?” Dylan asked. He couldn’t have been more surprised at the affirmative answer.

“Oh, yeah, she’s attended a couple of meetings. She got herself a wig and a fake tan and learned a new way to do her makeup so even you wouldn’t recognize her. I guess she’s trying to figure out what they’re all about.”

Dylan swore. “They’re all about trouble, is what they’re all about. She didn’t say anything about meeting with them today?”

“No. I mean, she went to a meeting this morning, but she came back from that. She was writing a story when we went out for some beers. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know yet, but I’m afraid she’s in trouble. I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”

With Lisa still protesting and trying to ask questions, Dylan hung up and called Wells back. “Her roommate says she’s been going to Patriots meetings on some sort of investigative thing. She met with them this morning but came home. The roommates went out for beer and when they got home, they found a note from her saying she’d be back in a week. You don’t think she’s gone on one of their operations, do you?”

Wells’ tone was grim when he answered. “I hope not. There was a murder west of Casa Grande on the highway a little while ago. Known drug smuggler, run off the road and pulled out of his truck, beaten to death. It looks like a Patriots hit. Can’t tell you more details, but if Alex was mixed up in that…”

“I’ll call her attorney.”

“Good idea. I’ll call some contacts in Pinal County. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

Dylan hoped he’d find Rick at home. Lately the guy had been making the circuit of unmarried women in Dodge, cadging home-cooked meals and flirting outrageously for a confirmed bachelor. Dylan was in luck today. Rick answered his phone.

“Hey, Dylan, I was just going to call you. What’s